


Barely Friends in Love

by spiralepiphany



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 09:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16323770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiralepiphany/pseuds/spiralepiphany
Summary: Annie balks for a second, before she sucks in a breath and plasters an overly large smile on her face. It’s probably enough to fool her father, but it only has Mikasa pressing her face into the cushion to not burst out laughing. She never imagined that Annie Leonhart could be so cute. Well, she never imagined spending this much time with Annie Leonhart either. This is probably the longest conversation they’ve ever had too, and it is swiftly turning her impression of the blonde on its head. Clearly she just never knew Annie Leonhart, because there is nothing of the cold, distant, and apathetic nature she thought typical of the other girl to be found here.---In which Mikasa agrees to pretend to be the girlfriend of her barely friend Annie for a weekend, and finds that all is not what they seem. Fake girlfriends AU prompt fill for LynxCarlyle





	Barely Friends in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LynxCarlyle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynxCarlyle/gifts).



> Fluff is not exactly my strongest point. And this got a lot longer than I expected, way longer than a prompt fill typically should be, but oh well. I hope you like it, LynxCarlyle!

Life is a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’re going to get, Armin once said. Or maybe he is quoting Forrest Gump when he says that. And apparently, it’s true. Because never in her sixteen years of life would Mikasa Ackerman have ever expected that she’d be doing this. Whereby ‘this’ is sitting on a sofa next to someone she’s barely friends with, in the house of said barely friend, mindlessly watching the reruns of some sitcom on the television with said barely friend, while feeling like a hole is being bored into the back of her head by the intense staring from the father of said barely friend, all because he believes that she’s the girlfriend of said barely friend. She doesn’t even know how she got into this uncomfortable situation in the first place. No wait, she does know that. It’s because a couple of days ago, said barely friend suddenly sought her out and asked for her help. For a favour that only she can fulfill. And for some inexplicable reason, despite them being barely friends, she agreed. And that’s why she’s here.

Strange, perplexing, ridiculous. None of that even begins to cover it.

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” she turns and asks her barely friend.

Said barely friend, who is also her fight club teammate, which is the only reason they’re barely friends and not complete strangers, lets out a sigh, rolling her eyes at her. “Mikasa, this is the fifth time you’re asking that.”

“Fourth,” she corrects.

“Whatever. That means I’ve answered you three times. The answer is still the same. Why do you need to ask again?” Annie Leonhart retorts, clearly annoyed.

“Because I’m still trying to figure out why I agreed,” she answers. “I’m replaying the sequence of events in my mind, looking for that exact moment my sense abandoned me.”

“Don’t be such a dramatic baby, Ackerman.”

“You sure you want to say that to me, Leonhart?”

“Godammit,” Annie curses, sucking in a breath and adjusting her stance. “Okay, I take that back. Don’t do anything hasty.”

Mikasa only smirks victoriously. She’s not a petty person at all, but having something on the other girl is a nicer feeling than she thought. “Good girl.”

Annie rolls her eyes again. “Aren’t you supposed to be the good girl? Is it that hard for you to help out a friend?”

“We’re barely friends, Annie.”

“Really? That’s what you choose to emphasize? Not the fact that I came to you because you’re the person with the highest chance, or maybe the only chance of helping me?”

“That means very little when your dad is glaring daggers into the back of my head,” Mikasa deadpans. “I feel my life is at risk, and that’s not something I want to be doing for a barely friend.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He is not.”

Mikasa raises an eyebrow and scoffs. “Why don’t you look and see for yourself?”

Annie doesn’t rise to her challenge, promptly handing another win to Mikasa. Not that that is worth much right now, as the hairs at the back of her neck are still standing painfully upright for all the glaring she’s receiving. Mikasa sighs, turning to face the television once more, seeing but not watching as the images flash by.

“I was under the impression that he likes me.”

“He does,” comes Annie’s reply, obviously attempting to latch on to that point of reassurance. “He finds you very impressive. He attends all your matches, and he always has something to say about you.”

“Are you sure that’s because he likes me?” Mikasa questions in turn. “I mean, the score between us is 5-2 favouring you. Rather than impressive, maybe he’s always saying something because he thinks I’m horrendous.”

“Oh come on, Mikasa. You know that’s not true. You got scouted by the club. The only reason the score is like that is because you never take our fights seriously.”

Mikasa shrugs. “I don’t really have an interest in fighting. I just needed the extra-curricular points, and the club scouted me, like you said. Plus, we both represent the same school. When it’s down to us in the finals, does it really matter who wins?”

“That’s what he’s always saying,” Annie says, pointing at her words. “That you seem to have a lot of potential that you’re just not using. He’s sure that if you were under his tutelage, you’ll become someone special.”

“Hmm,” Mikasa hums, tempted now to look behind her at Annie’s dad because that is not at all the impression she got from him when they exchanged words. But the glaring. Oh, the dreadful possibility of making eye contact with him is enough to have her lacing her fingers together and flashing Annie a courteous smile. “Well, that’s nice. Do tell him I appreciate the thought.”

Annie just waves off her need for courtesy. “Don’t worry about it. He says that about everyone.”

“Ah, okay.” Mikasa sighs again, switching her attention back to the television. But within ten seconds, the silence, awkwardness, and the discomfort from the imminent hole she’ll have on her skull, gnaws at her and she gives up pretending. “Is this really helping? We’re not doing anything but stare at moving images on a flat screen. While being intensely stared at, mind you.”

“Yes?” It is now Annie’s turn to shrug and raise an eyebrow. “That’s what happened with the others too.”

“Really? Your dad just stares at you two sitting silently watching the television?”

“No, some of them talk. Not as annoyingly as you though,” Annie replies, looking at her meaningfully, but Mikasa could not be bothered by the jab at this moment. “I’m usually not interested, so my dad will figure I don’t like them, and bring in someone else the next week. It’s exhausting, really. So hopefully with you here, he’ll stop doing that.”

“Is it even okay that I’m a girl? All the rest were boys, right? Maybe that’s why he’s staring so hard.”

“That’s why it has to be you, Mikasa. Because you’re even more impressive than all those boys. And, it gives me a believable excuse as to why I’ve never brought up being in a relationship.” Then, as though tired out from having done her share of explaining, Annie slumps her shoulders forward and exhales with none too subtly concealed irritation. “Now can we stop talking about this and you just play your part? You’re here already anyway, and we have another hour of this stupid sitcom to endure before you can leave, so let’s not add to how painful this is.”

Mikasa purses her lips, still unsure as to why, or what on earth could she possibly be thinking when she agreed to pretend to be Annie’s girlfriend so that Annie’s dad would stop introducing prospective boyfriends to her. But that is mystery for another day because Annie is right that she’s already here, so she might as well play her part. And she is not one who does things half-heartedly. Just like giving her all to the club that scouted her, she will give her all to Annie as well. Making up her mind, she turns in her seat, tucking a leg in on the sofa to enable her to face Annie fully before tapping the other girl’s knee.

“All right. I’ll play my part,” she says. “Here, turn and face me.”

Annie is instantly wary, her shoulders tensing and her brows furrowing, and it’s almost hilarious after all the things she just said. “Face you? Why?”

“Because you need to play your part too,” Mikasa snorts. “Come on. What kind of teen couple of six months spend an hour sitting next to each other _just_ watching the television, not even trying to do anything?”

“The teen couple who has one of their dads staring at them sitting next to each other on the sofa,” Annie shoots back.

“Wouldn’t we try anyway? If we behave just like you and all the other boys do then what makes us different from them? Would your dad believe we’re girlfriends?”

Annie sighs. “This is why I wanted us to be one month girlfriends so it wouldn’t matter that we’re awkward.”

“I wouldn’t even agree to meet your dad if we’re one month girlfriends. He’ll probably think you’re just using me to get out of more matchmaking, which is absolutely what you’re doing, by the way.”

“Okay, _fine_ ,” Annie huffs, turning to mimic Mikasa’s position with one leg tucked in on the cushion. “Forget the television. Let’s stare at each other’s faces instead.”

Mikasa begins to smile, halting it halfway when she picks up on Mr. Leonhart shifting about in his seat all the way at the kitchen table. Annie’s freezing tells her she notices it too. But nothing else happens besides that. No words come their way, nor are there any further movements. She knows he can’t hear them speaking from where he is, especially over the volume of the television, but she leans in a little closer for good measure, letting her full smile form. “See? It’s working already. I bet he was expecting this, since we’re apparently girlfriends.”

Annie rolls her eyes again. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right, okay?”

She could do without the sarcasm, but she lets it pass for now. Instead, she drops her gaze to Annie’s hands resting on her lap. “Should we hold hands?”

Horrified is only half of what instantly becomes of Annie’s expression. “What? Why? My dad can’t even see us doing that unless you want to hold hands above our heads like two morons.”

Mikasa then watches Annie promptly fold her arms to her chest as though she’s afraid that Mikasa might grab her hands anyway, and it sends her to a full on chuckle instead. “Point taken, but he can see our faces, Annie. You’re looking mighty irritated at me right now, so you probably want to fix that.”

Annie balks for a second, before she sucks in a breath and plasters an overly large smile on her face. It’s probably enough to fool her father, but it only has Mikasa pressing her face into the cushion to not burst out laughing. She never imagined that Annie Leonhart could be so cute. Well, she never imagined spending this much time with Annie Leonhart either. This is probably the longest conversation they’ve ever had too, and it is swiftly turning her impression of the blonde on its head. Clearly she just never knew Annie Leonhart, because there is nothing of the cold, distant, and apathetic nature she thought typical of the other girl to be found here.

Mikasa takes a deep breath, getting herself together and controlling her mirth, but as she looks back at Annie with a grin on her lips, gladdened to have discovered this new side of her, something strange immediately catches her attention. For one, Annie’s eyes are a little wider than they were before, fixedly staring at her. For two, coupled with those widened eyes, Annie has also gone completely still. And for three, there’s a slight bit of colour on Annie’s cheeks, one that only grows darker by the second. Mikasa furrows her brows a tad.

“Why are you blushing?”

The question snaps Annie out of whatever it is, and Annie blinks. “I’m not.”

Her grin grows at the obvious denial. “You know I’m looking right at you? I’m not blind either.”

“It’s just damned awkward to stare at your face, all right? That’s all there is to it,” Annie snaps softly, sliding her eyes to the side.

“But we stare at each other in the ring too.”

“With murderous intent yes, not whatever...this is.”

Mikasa hums again, not quite convinced by Annie’s reasoning, but she decides to play along anyway. “Okay, we can be that kind of couple too.”

“What?” Annie looks back at her, alarmed once more.

“The kind of couple that hates each other’s guts,” Mikasa clarifies, raising her arms. “Here, I’ll start. Remember your dad is watching us,” she warns with a smirk, surprising herself with how mischievous she’s feeling, before reaching over to pinch Annie’s cheeks and tug them upwards. “Smile.”

To Annie’s credit, she doesn’t recoil. She doesn’t even change her expression. But the gleam in her eyes _does_ turn murderous, and yet Mikasa can’t find it anything but amusing as she repeatedly tugs at Annie’s cheeks up and down to make her smile. After the fourth tug though, Annie finally heaves out a sharp breath through her nose.

“Mikasa,” she snarls lowly. “Are you doing this just because my dad’s watching?”

Mikasa nods, smirking. “Exactly.”

Now Annie glowers. “You. Me. Monday. In the ring. I am going to kick your ass so hard you’ll need to be carried home.”

“That so?” Mikasa replies easily. “I’ll take you seriously then.”

“You little shit.”

“Between the two of us I think it’s clear who the little one is.”

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mikasa knows that she probably shouldn’t have said that. They’re barely friends, true, but they’re teammates so she does know Annie enough to know that the other girl hates it when her opponents underestimate her due to her size. Those opponents usually gets a thorough trashing. Mikasa herself got that thorough trashing once. It had been Annie’s first win, all because she innocently questioned if they were in the same weight class. So yes, she knows she treading a dangerous, dangerous line. She’s probably crossed it, actually. But somehow, she finds she can’t stop herself either. She’s seeing new sides to Annie, sides that she never knew existed, and she wants to see them all.

But, just as she thought, Annie is not amused and in the next instance, Annie’s hands flies up to smack into Mikasa’s cheeks, squeezing with an almost painful force as Annie glares at her venomously. That’s the point where Mikasa starts to feel that maybe she’s poked a bit too much, that she should probably stop and apologize before this escalates to possible violence, that Annie’s dad is still watching them and that would blow this whole thing. It turns out she needn’t worry, for Mr. Leonhart defuses it himself. The chair he’s on shuffles back and then he clears his throat. Loudly. Deliberately. Violently.

She’s never dropped anything so fast, and within moments the both of them are sitting ramrod straight staring into the television once again. Her stomach sinks and her heart hammers away in her chest, an apology ready on her tongue even though she has no idea what she’s going to apologize for. But when nothing else happens for long moments beyond the throat clearing, again, and when she looks to her side to find Annie rigidly glaring at the television, all at once the tension breaks and she erupts into a small chuckle.

“Oh god, that was stupid,” Mikasa whispers, bringing her hands up to rub at her face. “And too much, obviously.”

Annie’s still tense, hands gripping onto her jeans at her knees, but she nods nevertheless. “Yeah. He probably thought we were gonna kiss or something, holding each other’s faces like that.” Then she does her own softer throat clearing as she peeks at Mikasa. “And we definitely don’t need to do that. What kind of teen couple kisses knowing one of their parents is watching anyway?”

She could think of all sorts of answers to that, but most of it will probably only infuriate Annie further, and that isn’t what she wants to do at the moment. She’s supposed to be helping Annie after all, not screw things up for her. And she’s had enough of a scare. The thought that Annie’s dad is probably watching her even more intensely now, or that she’s ruined any good impression she might have made, is not a pleasant one.

“I’m sorry for poking at you.”

The apology catches Annie off guard and her eyes widen in surprise, a reaction followed closely by flustered hiding of her face. “Oh, um, it’s fine.” And then she adds with a disappearing voice. “I’ll just beat you up in the ring.”

It’s somewhat adorable, more than she can say, and coupled with the earlier blushing, so very interesting. Could there be more to this for Annie other than her being the best person to play this role? If so, she definitely wants to find out. Turning to face Annie once more, although mindful that she doesn’t get too close this time, she gently taps Annie’s knee again. “Hey, look at me.”

Annie turns just her head. “Again? Let’s just get through this without anything else.”

“I promise I won’t poke at you anymore,” Mikasa reassures. “Come on, face me like before.”

Annie spends a few seconds seemingly deliberating it, before she sighs and turns, re-assuming her previous position. But like her, Annie keeps a reasonable distance between them and keeps her gaze angled down. “Fine. No more poking, okay?”

Mikasa doesn’t mind it, although she does get a sudden, nagging urge to tip Annie’s chin up so that she can see her face. But she doesn’t have to try it to know that won’t go over well. So instead, she suppresses the urge, ignores the fluttering in her stomach at the mental image of holding up Annie’s chin, and tilts her head down for a better view. And from this angle— “You know, I’ve always thought your nose is really big.”

That gets Annie looking up, even though it wasn’t her intention. Neither is the frown that takes over Annie’s previously flustered expression. “Mikasa...what did we just agree to? Are you just going to keep making fun of me while I can’t react?”

“I’m not making fun of you.”

Annie just frowns harder. “You just said I have a big nose.”

“Yes,” Mikasa says, admitting it. However, that’s not the end of it. “But it really fits your face. Makes you very attractive.”

Annie blinks. And then her face turns wholly red. “What are you talking about?”

Mikasa grins at the flush. “That your big nose really suits your face. It’s attractive.”

Annie opens and closes her mouth like a fish. Then she drops her head again, turning away completely. “I—uh...thanks, I guess? And well, I...I’ve always thought you have small eyes, but they fit your face too.”

“Do they make me attractive?” Mikasa teases.

The colour spreads to Annie’s neck. “Shut up.”

“You’re blushing again,” Mikasa points out, definitely liking this side of Annie much more. But as she watches Annie’s reaction to her observation, the twitching in her brows, fingers playing with the hem of her hoodie, refusal of direct eye contact, Mikasa feels her own heart rate pick up, because all these responses, all these anxiety, seems to imply that she’s right. That Annie _does_ find her attractive. And suddenly, she doesn’t quite know how she actually feels about that.

“Of course I’m blushing,” Annie retorts. “What are we even doing? Complimenting each other?”

Annie tries to play it off. Mikasa doesn’t intend to let her. “I’m complimenting you.”

“So—so am I,” comes the quick reply. “But why are we even doing that?”

“Isn’t that what couples do?”

“My dad is out of earshot. We don’t have to.”

“I’m not saying it for your father’s benefit,” Mikasa says, shaking her head. “I’m saying it for you, because you’re cute.”

Annie turns so red then, her eyes growing so wide and shaky, that Mikasa starts to feel her own cheeks warming up as well because Annie’s right. There really isn’t any reason to be saying all of this. She just said them because she wants to. And she wants to because...she doesn’t know. They’re barely friends. She’s never even paid particular attention to Annie prior to this. But now? Now she’s fairly certain she’s blushing too, and her heart is beating like a child skipping through a meadow for the very first time.

“Mika—Mikasa,” Annie stutters through her name and oh, _oh,_ she likes the sound of that. The shortening of her name isn’t deliberate, she knows, but no one has ever shortened her name like that. “We’re just, you know we’re just pretending, Mikasa. You don’t need to...flirt, or...put on your charms or whatever.”

It’s true that they’re pretending, and it’s true that they’re barely friends. But it is also true that Annie’s blushing, and that Annie’s stuttering through her compliments. Just as it is true that she can hear her own light and jolly heart beat in her head, and that she has an urge to tip Annie’s chin up to look at her face. Mikasa gulps, taking in a slow, deep breath, staring at Annie’s big but fitting for her face nose, and she doesn’t know what she’s thinking anymore, but something stirs.

“That’s not me flirting,” she replies, watching the play of emotions in Annie’s expression. Confusion. Caution. Nervousness. “This is me flirting.” And then she leans in to peck Annie on the nose.

She gets to relish in Annie’s ping pong ball sized eyes for only a second before the moment is broken by the sound of chair legs screeching across the floorboards followed by a loud thud.

 

*

 

“Well, that went well.”

Of all the ways Mikasa Ackerman could think to spend a Saturday afternoon, sitting at the bus stop next to a barely friend waiting for the bus that will take her home after having spent two awkward hours in said barely friend’s house pretending to be said barely friend’s girlfriend, is not typically one of them. She sighs, looking over to said barely friend and pretend girlfriend who hasn’t said much since she pecked her on the nose back in the house. She can’t say she knows for sure why she even did that. However, the good thing is that that finally seems to have convinced their very avid observer that they are in fact, girlfriends, and he proceeded to finally give them privacy after that. Not that they did much with it. The shock from his sudden standing up was enough to have her sitting in silence for the rest of the sitcom, after which she got up to leave whilst said barely friend and pretend girlfriend accompanied her to the bus stop. Which brings them where they are now.

Said barely friend and pretend girlfriend for today, Annie Leonhart, startles at being addressed, and turns to look at her. “Ah...yeah,” she replies slowly. “I didn’t thank you, so thanks.”

Annie’s cheeks are still slightly flushed, ever since the nose peck in fact, which is just as well. Her own increased heart rate hasn’t calmed either. Mikasa shakes her head, brushing off the gratitude. It isn’t like she didn’t get something out of it. Although the idea that getting to peck Annie’s nose is somehow worth that two hours of awkwardness, is one that doesn’t quite make sense in itself.

“Is it...enough?”

Annie raises her brows. “What do you mean?”

Maybe she should get more than pecking Annie once on the nose. She genuinely thought when Annie’s father got up after the peck, that she was going to get killed for daring to do that in his presence. That he was finally going to make real, physical holes in her head. She’s not even someone who scares easily, yet she got two shocks today. Seems like she should get more than just pecking Annie. Why is that even a reward? She barely even knows Annie. But as her gaze lingers on Annie’s big nose and her face warms at the memory, she gets it. It is a reward because of Annie’s ping pong eyes and blushing cheeks. It is a reward because of her racing heart and heated flush.

Mikasa promptly looks down. “I mean, is today enough? Your dad might believe it now, but if I never show up at your house again, wouldn’t that be strange?”

“Oh, that. I suppose it would,” Annie agrees. “But it should be enough to give him pause. And if he asks, I guess I’ll just say we broke up and pretend to be upset about it. That again should hold off the matchmaking. So you don’t need to do anything more. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

“...What?”

“I mean,” Mikasa elaborates, shrugging as casually as she can. “I wouldn’t mind if you need me to help you make it more convincing.”

She hears Annie gasp. “You mean...?”

Well, they’re having an incredibly productive conversation. And this is probably the most times she’s saying ‘I mean’ in a single conversation. “I mean, what if your dad gets angry at me when he sees you upset over us breaking up? What if he comes to my matches and curses me to lose, or, or if he challenges me to a fight for your honour, or something?”

It sounds silly immediately after she says it. Annie’s dad isn’t some witch doctor, or medieval knight, plus it isn’t uncommon at all for teen relationships to be short lived. Furthermore, she’s totally assuming that Annie’s dad is that petty. But to her surprise Annie doesn’t shoot her down. Instead, Annie actually agrees.

“You’re right.”

Mikasa whirls to Annie. “I am?”

Annie glances back at her. “I mean, I’m not saying that my dad will do any of that. But I guess I don’t know for sure, so you’re right. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“You mean...?”

And the flush on Annie’s cheeks darken a tad as she nods. “Yeah, so, if you don’t mind keeping this up for a while longer...a month or two, or something...then maybe we should.”

Instantly, something buzzes in Mikasa’s chest and she nods. Then nods again. “Yes. Yes, I don’t mind at all.”

“Okay,” Annie replies just as quickly, her voice a bit higher than usual. “Okay, that’s settled then.”

Mikasa’s heart leaps to her throat and she hears it pounding in her head at what they’ve just settled. They’re going to be pretend girlfriends for the next one or two months. Maybe more. And for some reason, that makes her more excited than she can say. How strange. Wasn’t she just thinking about how she couldn’t understand why she agreed to this just an hour ago? But now she’s so positively in the clouds and there’s no where else she’d rather be.

“So, um, just so I’m clear on how this goes,” Mikasa starts, needing clarification. “Are we telling people?”

Obviously, no one knows currently because this was supposed to be a one time thing. But if they are to continue this for another couple of months, if they are to make this _convincing_ , then their relationship should be known. After all, they are supposed to have been together for six months already. Annie seems to concur with her.

“I suppose we should,” Annie says. “You know, just in case my dad asks anyone.”

Mikasa nods once more. “Right. So...you asked me out? We’ve been dating in secret?”

Annie scowls lightly, and with the colour still in her cheeks, it’s unimaginably adorable. “I guess? I mean, technically true, if my plea for help is considered asking you out, but let’s just leave the details to other people’s imagination.”

Mikasa smiles, deciding not to voice out that thought she just had. There’s no one here to hear it anyway, or at least, that’s what Annie might say. But she does like a blushing Annie. “Okay. One final question then.”

She says that in a slightly more serious tone, and as expected, Annie responds in kind, turning to face her fully. “What is it?”

“When we see each other in school on Monday, how should we behave with each other? Do we...do things?”

That gets her an expected reaction as well. More blushing. “What things?”

Mikasa’s certain that Annie knows, what with the blushing, but she shrugs and answers anyway. “You know, couple things.” And then, just for emphasis, Mikasa drops her gaze to Annie’s lips.

It has Annie springing up to her feet, looking far away and exaggeratedly stretching her hands every which way. “I guess...if we have to put on a show for people, then—oh look, there’s your bus!”

Annie points down the road and indeed, that is her bus slowly approaching the bus stop. Mikasa stands too as Annie helps her to flag it, quelling her disappointment at what is basically a non-answer on Annie’s part. Because it tells her nothing of how she should behave, whether it’s okay to hold hands or whether they’re a non-touchy couple. Perhaps implying kissing is taking it too far, but she assumed Annie would get the gist of it. Guess not, then. She’ll just have to play it by ear.

“Well, text me if there’s anything then,” Mikasa says. “I’ll see you Monday.”

The bus pulls in to the stop but Annie grabs her arm, turning her around. The first thing she notices is that Annie’s grip on her arm is almost painful, and she would have commented on it if not for the second thing she notices. The shaky eyes, the parted lips, that giant lungful of breath as though for courage, and then Annie’s hand is pulling at her scarf her face is suddenly too close and—

Mikasa gasps.      

It lasts only a second. And it leaves her blinking repeatedly in the proceeding seconds. But it happens. Her barely friend and pretend girlfriend, Annie Leonhart, kissed her. Pecked her lips, to be more exact, but the point stands.

Annie withdraws, her face as red as burning coals. “If we’re going to put on a show for people, then we might as well get used to it.”

Mikasa somehow hears the sound of the automatic doors of the bus opening behind her over the rapid pounding of her heart. And she doesn’t care. Lifting her hands to grasp Annie’s face, she leans down and makes that contact again. Annie gasps this time, but it lasts less than a second before the grips on her arm and scarf tightens, and Annie is pushing back into her. She makes it last longer now, a full five seconds of pressing her lips against Annie’s own, a full five seconds of holding Annie’s face in her hands, a full five seconds of being pulled down to meet her partner halfway.

It is a full five seconds that leaves her absolutely breathless, wanting nothing more than to do it again. And again. And again. Because she has never felt like that before. And if she’s reading the look in Annie’s eyes correctly, her partner does not feel dissimilarly. But she doesn’t get to do it again, as the moment is finally broken not by the bus driver hollering at her to get on already, or the bus leaving because she’s not getting on, but by the very curious sound of things slamming from the inside of the bus’ windows. It draws both their attention as they turn to look and there, at the back rows of the bus, with their bulging eyes and faces pressed against the windows, are Reiner, Eren and Sasha.

She doesn’t know what they’re doing in this bus, but they have very clearly seen them. And what they were doing. So. She glances back at Annie. “Well, that takes care of telling people.”

Annie smiles at her silver lining, gently tugging at her scarf. “Shall we give them a show?”

Mikasa smiles. “Gladly.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not the biggest fan of the Fake Relationship trope, but hopefully I pulled it off well enough. Personally, I see three ways these stories could go. One, that they fall in love and actually get together, which is the route I went for here. Alternatively, they fall in love but cannot actually be together for whatever reason, or one falls for the other but the other is only faking it, thus leading to lots of angst. Which sounds great to be honest, but I've had my fill of angst writing Wicked Game. Lastly, they play out their fake relationship until they no longer need it, and then go their separate ways. This is the fake relationship story no one wants to read or write, because that's pointless.
> 
> Anyway, leave me a thought if you'd like, and thanks for reading!


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